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The Geeky Beach Babe: August 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Book Review: Changing My Wardrobe by Deb Hanrahan
Title: Changing My Wardrobe
Author: Deb Hanrahan
Publisher: Philyra Publishing, May 16, 2011
Pages: Paperback, 258
Buy it on Amazon
From Goodreads: Incoming freshman, Lindsey Ames, wants to take Italian, and she wants to join the National Honor Society. She wants a new image, and she wants better clothes. She wants Avery to stop tormenting her, and she wants Marco to ask her out. She wants Jocelyn to go away, but she wants Grouper to be happy. She wants to save Teeny’s reputation, but she doesn’t want to lose everything. Will Lindsey find the courage to stand up to her enemies before it’s too late?
My Rating: (3/5)
I really enjoyed reading this book and it took me right back to high school. Whatever clique you fit into or group you mesh with, your friends are the biggest part of high school that you’ll ever remember. I can say this with confidence because I’ve graduated from high school and college, and I know the difference.
The main character and I may share a name (different spelling) but I can completely identify with her. Lindsey is shy and likes to stay out of the limelight while her best friend Teeny lives for it. And in true high school form, they both have a common enemy who is relentless.
Changing My Wardrobe is real on so many levels because it clearly shows how easy it is for teens to get out of hand. Just merely existing in a “good girl” high school bubble isn’t enough to survive high school, as Deb Hanrahan shows. While I was not expecting the ending to Changing My Wardrobe at all, I do know that the ultimate ending made me think and reflect on the entire scenario. Lindsey isn’t a perfect martyr or hero. She’s actually a great representation of what a real girl would look like in the midst of such high school crap. Overall, I love her character, but I wish I was more prepared for the surprise ending.
And oh yeah, I like the characters so much I want a spin-off!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Liebster Blog Award
The Liebster Blog Award spotlights up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. A big thank you to Melissa from Reading by Moonlight for nominating moi! And now, I shall pass the torch:
The rules of the award are:
1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and past the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
5. And most of all- have bloggity-blog fun!
My nominations in random order are:
Give ’em a shout!
xo ~ L
Sunday, August 7, 2011
In My Mailbox (2)
In My Mailbox is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren where bloggers get to share books they received during the week.
This week the library amazingly had even more books ready for me! I swear they all had a lot of holds on them before me… I’ve been trying my best to read the ones I already have because my goal is to never, ever renew.
Anyway, this week was all about the library: The Lightning Thief 
by Rick Riordan (which looks VERY worn in, hoping that’s a good thing), Warm Bodies
by Isaac Marion (very excited about this one), I Am Number Four
by Pittacus Lore, Incarceron
by Catherine Fisher, Pretty Little Liars 
by Sara Shepard (I love this show so I figure maybe I should read the books! Hopefully it doesn’t give away too much about A… Does anyone know if the show is a play by play or completely different?), and finally Ruby Red
by Kerstin Gier. I’ve seen this book come up a lot lately on blogs so I’m hoping it’s as good as the cover is beautiful.
by Rick Riordan (which looks VERY worn in, hoping that’s a good thing), Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (very excited about this one), I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore, Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard (I love this show so I figure maybe I should read the books! Hopefully it doesn’t give away too much about A… Does anyone know if the show is a play by play or completely different?), and finally Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier. I’ve seen this book come up a lot lately on blogs so I’m hoping it’s as good as the cover is beautiful. That’s it for me – what’s in your mailbox this week?
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Book Review: Cinder & Ella by Melissa Lemon
Title: Cinder and Ella
Author: Melissa Lemon
Publisher: Cedar Fort, expected date: November 8, 2011
Pages: Hardcover, 280
Source: NetGalley
Buy it on Amazon
After their father’s disappearance, Cinder leaves home for a servant job at the castle. But it isn’t long before her sister Ella is brought to the castle herself—the most dangerous place in all the kingdom for both her and Cinder. Cinder and Ella is a Cinderella story like no other and one you’ll never forget.
My Rating: (2.5/5)
If you love fairytales and you’re always looking for a new one, this may be the book for you. This story is a retelling of the classic Cinderella story, but really the only thing in this novel that bears resemblance to the original is the name of two of the characters. Otherwise, it seemed to be a completely new story which I have to admit was a little disappointing to me since I was expecting the same story but with new twists.
In true fairytale style, the writing is very objective and linear in that it explains what’s going on but doesn’t give much insight to what the main character (Ella) is feeling. It’s all very polite and proper so I couldn’t get a feel for Melissa Lemon’s personal style of writing and it lacked the unique traits that many other YA authors have.
The best parts of this book were at Cinder and Ella’s house, away from all the prince and castle drama. I loved Katrina and Beatrice, the two troubled and difficult sisters, and I found their behavior so ludicrous that it was pretty hysterical and I think they actually stole the show from Cinder and Ella. I would love to see a spin-off just on those two sisters alone.
Overall, if you’re a die hard fairytale fan, give it a shot. If you like Cinderella as one person, the way she’s always been, well… you decide.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth
Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books, May 1, 2011
Pages: Hardcover, 496
Series: Divergent #1
Buy it on Amazon
From Goodreads: Beatrice “Tris” Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth’s dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place her in mortal danger. Veronica Roth’s young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.
My Rating: (5/5)
This is my new favorite series; I can tell already. Ever since I read The Hunger Games, Matched and The Maze Runner, I’ve been feeling a little “meh” about finding a new awesome dystopian trilogy. But no fear – I’ve found it!
Divergent was a thrilling read from the beginning to the end. I actually had to slow myself down while reading so I could delay the awesomeness and bask in it as much as possible. Seriously. For example, I love the factions. At first I thought, how could only five factions define all of humanity? (Well, I found out it couldn’t, but that’s beside the point. Er, I mean it is the point.) Each faction is vastly different and each one provides a different community or way of living than the next which is probably my favorite thing about dystopian novels. I love exploring the worlds authors create and imagining how society could have possibly evolved this way. The almost insane, brave and courageous Dauntless provided a striking contrast to Abnegation’s uniformity and generosity. I believed Veronica Roth’s new world and found it equal parts stifling as well as exhilarating. I’m looking forward to delving deeper into the other factions as the series goes on.
Tris is a dynamic protagonist: she’s not perfect and she’s definitely not bad, but her character does seem to lie somewhere in the middle seeing as she’s constantly torn between going with her gut and doing what’s right, or being a follower and saving her own butt while others are in trouble. I think I like her and I’m hoping she gets emotionally stronger in the next book.
Now can we talk about Four? Four is one of the best boys to pine for in 2011, if such list does exist. He’s brave, strong, sexy? (I never got a good feel for what he looked like but it didn’t matter because his personality is a-blazing!) and oh yeah, he doesn’t treat Tris like a delicate flower about to wither at any given moment. I found the growing connection between Tris and Four to be just as important and engaging as the faction drama revolving around them.
To say I’m looking forward to the next in the series is a huge understatement. Veronica Roth is a debut author and SHE’S ONLY 22. Yup. Go get Divergent!
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The Geeky Beach Babe: July 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
In My Mailbox (1)
In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren where bloggers get to share books they received and I’ve always wanted to do one since I started this blog so here we go. This is my first one!
I have a big list this week from all kinds of sources and I’m very excited about each and every one! A few days ago a lot of the books I requested from the library were in, so I gladly went and picked them up. I just read both The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson (awesome) and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (double awesome). The rest are Ironside by Holly Black, EON by Alison Goodman and The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan.
I also went to Border’s to see what kind of deals I could get and while the shelves were surprisingly already picked clean, I managed to pick up some fun ones on sale: Lord of the Flies by William Golding, The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (from the Kingkiller Chronicles, my sister-in-law recommended it and I’m very excited to read) and A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (I love the HBO series and can’t wait to get my hands on this one!).
Then, in my actual mailbox I received Changing My Wardrobe by Deb Hanrahan (an indie that I’m reading now) and I also received What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty from Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam (thanks Mary Stone!) which I (think) I won from Shelf Awareness. It’s an adult book but it looks like a superfun beach read and of course, we all know I love the beach.
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| Yes, that is a fluffy kitty tail/tush you see to the right. |
And finally, my mom was very generous and bought me a few books because she’s a very nice mom: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater (I’m dying to finish this series and find out what happens between Sam and Grace!), Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (loving the old photos) and A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin (yes, getting ahead of myself here since I haven’t read the first yet, but I couldn’t resist).
That’s what I got, and now I’m off to the beach for some R&R so tell me what you’re looking at this week!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Booking Through Thursday: Night Owl?
Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme about (mostly) books and reading. Today’s question is:
What’s the latest you’ve ever stayed up reading a book? Is staying up late reading a usual thing for you?
I am definitely a certified night owl. I’ve probably stayed up reading easily until 4 a.m. Sometimes I just can’t put down a book even though I know that staying up that late defies all reason and logic and humans do not naturally function that way. But I can’t help it! Usually I stay up this late when the plot is really picking up and moving toward something good and I. HAVE. TO. KNOW. WHAT. IT. IS. NOW! I can’t possibly wait until tomorrow like a civilized person would do.
Most nights however, I do read before bed for at least a few hours and it’s usually 1 or 2 a.m. before I actually hit the hay. I know this is pretty ridiculous too, but it feels relaxing to me and I figure as long as I’m laying down horizontally, my body is still at rest so that has to count, right? Right?!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Book Review: Specials by Scott Westerfeld
Title: Specials
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Simon Pulse, May 9, 2006
Pages: Hardcover, 384
Series: #3 Uglies
Buy it on Amazon
And now she’s been turned into one of them: a superamped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid.
The strength, the speed, and the clarity and focus of her thinking feel better than anything Tally can remember. Most of the time. One tiny corner of her heart still remembers something more. Still, it’s easy to tune that out — until Tally’s offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she’s programmed to complete. Either way, Tally’s world will never be the same.
My Rating: (3.5/5)
Specials is a good ending to a good trilogy (err, wait there is a fourth novel). The Uglies series has been quite a journey and I really loved the creative details about this world. Specials certainly gave me a window into something I hadn’t experienced before.
At first I thought this series was all about the underlying message which I think is basically Scott Westerfeld holding up a mirror to society and saying “Take a good look, kids,” and I still think so. But I also think it’s about growing up and changing. Tally has gone through so many changes so of course she’s going to be different as she grows up but I think if she had never become a Special, she never would have become who she is today: a hero. She’s also a product of her environment but I think it’s a metaphor for how quickly we change when we’re young. That’s not a bad thing: it’s just the way we are and I think Scott showed this through Tally’s evolution over the series.
A lot of YA books focus on the characters’ feelings of adrenaline and how this leads to courage and bravery and I think this illustrates the invincibility most teens feel. Hell, I feel the same way and I’m in my 20s. To feel young is a state of mind and I think Scott paints a true picture of what it feels to be alive.
I think Specials is the ending Uglies needs as a series though I know it has one more book in store for us. If you haven’t read the first two, pick them up!
Friday, July 22, 2011
Book Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Title: Linger
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press, July 13, 2010
Pages: Hardcover, 360
Series: #2 The Wolves of Mercy Falls
Buy it on Amazon
From Goodreads: In Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.
At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love — the light and the dark, the warm and the cold — in a way you will never forget.
My Rating: (4.5/5)
I am a huge fan of Shiver, the first in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series, but now I’m an even bigger fan of Linger. This is one of my favorite follow-ups in a long time. Maggie Stiefvater’s writing is beautiful and sad at the same time, which made me feel for the characters and their predicaments even more this time around.
Sam and Grace are wonderful characters and they don’t disappoint, but Maggie added two more perspectives to the mix: a new character, Cole, and Isabel. I loved these characters and they couldn’t be more different from Sam and Grace, which provided a nice balance.
I like that Linger took a more scientific approach to explain the wolves — you don’t see that in most paranormal novels – and I think it worked. It wasn’t overly complex yet I found myself believing shifting could be possible and I like how Maggie makes this paranormal world seem completely normal. I think that’s what makes a great story.
For some reason I can’t explain how much I love this series in simple words. Once again I stayed up very late reading this book and considered starting Forever, the next in the series, right away because I couldn’t get enough but now I think I’ll try and pace myself and make the series last longer. I just don’t want it to be over!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Book Review: Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison
Book Title: Tris and Izzie
Author: Mette Ivie Harrison
Publisher: Egmont USA, expected date October 11, 2011
Pages: Kindle edition, 304
Source: netGalley
Buy it on Amazon
From Goodreads: A modern retelling of the German fairytale “Tristan and Isolde,” Tris and Izzie is about a young witch named Izzie who is dating Mark King, the captain of the basketball team and thinks her life is going swimmingly well. Until — she makes a love potion for her best friend Brangane and then ends up taking it herself accidentally, and falling in love with Tristan, the new guy at school.
My Rating: (1/5)
While the cover of this book is absolutely fantastic, it unfortunately is extremely misleading. And, while I had heard there were several negative reviews, I still wanted to give it a chance but I really didn’t enjoy this book at all. Usually I have a lot to say when I don’t like a book and sometimes I think it’s good that readers are polarized in different directions. At least that way, readers feel something for it, whether good or bad. As for this novel, I just feel completely indifferent because I’m not so sure it’s that great of a book to begin with
Tris and Izzie is about older teenagers though it seems as if it was written for middle graders. The writing was very blunt and matter-of-fact which made it sound immature. All the characters had the same voice and I didn’t like any of them. The story jumps around constantly and characters seem to do and say random things without any apparent motivation behind it. Most of what happens is completely unrealistic and slightly ridiculous, although none of the characters think anything odd is going on.
One thing that really bothered me was the constant redundancy. Throughout the book, we are reminded of several things over and over again (like Izzie’s mom is a witch, or her dad died when she was little, etc.).
In short, I am unfortunately not a fan.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Book Review: How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Title: How I Live Now
Author: Meg Rosoff
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books, August 5, 2004
Pages: Paperback, 194
Buy it on Amazon
From Goodreads: “Every war has turning points and every person too.”
Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy. As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way. A riveting and astonishing story.
My Rating: (5/5)
This book blew me away. I read How I Live Now in just a few hours and every single moment I was engrossed, unable to put it down. The story is very unique for a dystopian in that it’s not overly complicated. The setting may as well be today and not some far away future, which is why I found it most unsettling.
Daisy’s brutally honest, insightful and imaginative thoughts gave her character a realness that I immediately bonded to. Meg Rosoff has the wonderful ability to create beautiful prose by writing very long sentences in such an effortless way. Because of this, Daisy’s thoughts were written like a very easy to read stream of consciousness full of color and details which gave her personality life. Later, Meg uses short and simple sentences that illustrate the emptiness Daisy feels.
While reading How I Live Now, I was taken to the beautiful English countryside along with Daisy and I yearned for the absolute bliss this simple life created. When the war hit, I too was in denial along with Daisy and her cousins that the war was an irrelevant problem, very far away. I too was catapulted into a kind of hell along with them when everything started to fall apart.
To give you fair warning, there is a taboo in this novel but I didn’t find it offensive. Details are sparse and the message is clear that the characters are aware of their unacceptable behavior and after all the characters are children and not adults, an important distinction. I think it’s included because it shows how the children’s version of reality is already unfolding without any adults around before consequences of war can even touch their lives.
The cover of this book is beautiful and while I borrowed this copy from the library, I can’t wait to get my own. I recommend this to anyone – boy, girl, man, woman, goat or dog. It’s a thrilling story and one that reminds me why I love reading so much.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Book Review: Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
Title: Pretties
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Simon Pulse, November 1, 2005
Pages: Paperback, 370
Series: #2, Uglies
Buy it on Amazon
From Goodreads: Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she’s completely popular. It’s everything she’s ever wanted.
But beneath all the fun — the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom — is a nagging sense that something is wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally’s ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what’s wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.
Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life — because the authorities don’t intend to let anyone with this information survive.
My Rating: (4/5)
This was a great follow-up to Uglies and I really enjoyed reading it. Now in New Prettytown, Tally finally has what she’s always wanted but does she even know it?
The fun in this book is the continuation of the world that Scott Westerfeld created. In Uglies I could only gather so much about what it must be like to live as a Pretty, but now we’re filled in and it’s very satisfying. I love the futuristic details, like the hole in the wall that spits out whatever kind of clothing you want and the bedroom that does whatever you want, like get you breakfast. I’m completely envious and not-so-secretly hoping that is a perk in the future.
Another thing I really liked is the language that Scott created, which kind of reminds me of Newspeak from 1984, but in a really funny and addicting way (for a while after I read this, I tried to use words like “pretty-making” and “dizzy-making” in my everyday vocabulary!). The fun add-ons to their names (Tally-wa, Shay-la) are super fun, too.
It’s clear the question behind Pretties is this: Is ignorance really bliss? Most of the Pretties simply spend their time partying, drinking and living it up – but they’re more like bimbos than rock stars. There really isn’t a meaning to life anymore; rather, being a Pretty is just a way to mindlessly spend time and stay forever content.
This novel is a complete guilty pleasure to read, while at the same time left me pondering the message behind it creating a great mesh of fun and provocation. Pick it up it — it’s totally happy-making!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Book Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate
Title: Fallen
Author: Lauren Kate
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books,
December 8, 2009
Pages: Hardcover, 452 pages
Series: Fallen #1
Buy it on Amazon
From Goodreads: There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori. Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move. Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret … even if it kills her
My Rating: (1/5)
Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book at all. After reading the prologue, I thought the story showed some promise. The present day setting at Sword and Cross reform school seemed intriguing and surely the story would be more complex with twists and turns I couldn’t possibly expect. Nope. I quickly found out the prologue gave away the entire premise of the book in just a few short paragraphs so there was no guessing, no mystery and no more intrigue.
I liken this book to Beautiful Creatures as it was very long and filled with a whole lot of nothing until the final few chapters. The middle part was full of somewhat cheesy clues to hint at what the characters really were (Cam’s serpent necklace, anyone?) so I felt like the story was aimed at incredibly naive readers for that reason alone.
I’m a huge fan of fantastical elements in a story but for me, it has to be a perfect mesh of fantasy and reality to make the story believable. I think Fallen really failed at this. There were too many characters “in on it” for the story to make any sense. It felt like the entire school was a farce – just a way for Luce to get from point A to point B with no real substance.
Needless to say, Fallen disappointed me and I won’t be reading the rest of the series.
Summer Giveaway Winner!
Congratulations to Meredith from Mint Tea and a Good Book! You’ve won my Summer Giveaway including Beauty Queens by Libba Bray and summer-inspired beauty goodies by SEPHORA COLLECTION.
Thank you to all who entered and watch out for new giveaways. If you have any ideas for future contests, shoot me an email!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Book Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Title: Shiver
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press, August 1 2009
Pages: Hardcover, 392
Series: #1 The Wolves of Mercy Falls
Buy it on Amazon
From Goodreads: The cold. Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn’t know why. The heat. Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace…until now. The shiver. For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it’s spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.
My Rating: (4/5)
From the first few pages of this book, I knew I loved it. I’ve kept away from it for so long because it was about wolves, which I associated with Twilight and those wolves really turned me off. So, imagine my surprise when I finally picked up Shiver and found it was nothing like Twilight!
This is such a beautiful story and what I liked most about it was Grace. I found her to be truly authentic and while she describes herself to be somewhat plain, from Sam’s view we find out she’s anything but. Switching between both Grace and Sam’s perspectives gave me a better view of the big picture and I felt like this gave more detail to a mostly straightforward story.
Maggie Stiefvater really nailed it when she created Sam and his pack. Unlike other shifter stories I can think of, Maggie perfectly transferred Sam’s presence as a wolf into his human character and I loved him in both roles. Some of the moments between Grace and Sam as a wolf were some of the loveliest and saddest of the entire novel and by the end, I was desperately trying to find a way for Sam to be both!
I’m looking forward to Linger, the next in the series. I hope it’s as good as this one!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton, December 2, 2010
Pages: Hardcover, 372
Buy it on Amazon
From Goodreads: Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris – until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he’s taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home. As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near – misses end with the French kiss Anna – and readers – have long awaited?
My Rating: (4.5/5)
Parlez-vous francais? Non? Okay, I’ll do this review in English then. I absolutely loved this book and couldn’t put it down. Typically I’m that way with action books, but Anna and the French Kiss was packed with all sorts of high school and relationship drama, but in a good way.
Stephanie Perkins did a great job explaining Anna’s thought process throughout. I think you could hand this book to any guy and say, ‘See? This is how we think,’ because it was dead-on with everything from Anna’s overanalyzing to her obsessing over her relationship with Etienne (or St. Clair, depending on the day). It actually read to me as a diary what with all the sarcasm and sometimes snark. I also really like Anna because she isn’t a typically perfect protagonist who can do no wrong; in fact, she has a lot to learn about being a friend and how she interacts with others.
Etienne is a complex character and perfect love interest. While I love the evolution of his relationship with Anna (and yes, they are utterly perfect for each other), I don’t think this is a book just about a relationship; it’s about friends. All of Anna’s friends – at home and in France – are believable and realistic. You could probably see one of your best friends (or frenemies) in any one of these roles. They are all flawed of course, but funny, understanding, honest and they won’t take your crap.
Because of that, this book didn’t need any crazy plot twists or fantastical elements. It has the perfect mix of love, friendship and drama with just a hint of France. Pick it up, you’ll love it.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Book Review: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Title: Beautiful Creatures
Author: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers,
December 1, 2009
Pages: Hardcover, 563
Series: #1 (Caster Chronicles)
Buy it on Amazon
From Goodreads: Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she’s struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever. Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town’s oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them. In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.
My Rating: (2/5)
I know there are many readers who loved this book and will totally disagree with me, but I just couldn’t get into Beautiful Creatures. I really wanted to and as I was reading I waited for the moment when I would start enjoying it but I just felt like reading this book was a chore.
One of my biggest pet peeves with this book was that it’s so long and the action didn’t even pick up until I was at least two thirds through the book. There was a lot of back history on the town and that’s not the part that bored me. Rather, Ethan and Lena spent so many days doing absolutely nothing and instead of skipping that part and giving the meat of the story, I guess I was supposed to be excited about… nothing much.
Most of the townspeople and classmates like Savannah and Emily were too one dimensionally evil and I hate to say it, but I just didn’t care about Ethan and Lena, especially as a couple. It felt like they talked more to each other in their heads than in real life, so I actually didn’t feel a real connection between them. Like I said, I can’t quite explain it but I just couldn’t get into them.
When the ball finally started rolling towards the end, I was very indifferent to the whole thing. Was I surprised about the ending? I guess. Was it satisfying? No. The pieces just didn’t fit together like I thought they would and I never had the “aha!” moment.
The reason I finished the book is because of what I did like about Beautiful Creatures. Amma and Macon were my two favorite characters by far and completely reminded me of a pulpy South: a superstitious seer and a Southern gentleman. I actually thought they would make a nice couple, you know, if they didn’t disgust each other. Link, Ridley and the Sisters are also some of my favorites and they had very distinct and colorful voices. Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl definitely gave the supporting characters a rich depth that I felt the main characters were lacking.
Overall, I was disappointed with this book because of the good things I had heard, but I pushed through regardless. The book was clearly well written but I think it could have been shorter so that it had more of a punch. I am only slightly tempted to read the second in the series, Beautiful Darkness, because I am a little curious about where the story could possibly go. Meh, we’ll see.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Book Review: The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan
Title: The Dark and Hollow Places
Author: Carrie Ryan
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, March 22, 2011
Pages: Hardcover, 377
Series: # 3 (Forest of Hands and Teeth)
Buy it on Amazon
From Goodreads: There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister’s face before Annah left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the Horde as they swarmed the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters. Annah’s world stopped that day, and she’s been waiting for Elias to come home ever since. Somehow, without him, her life doesn’t feel much different than the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Until she meets Catcher, and everything feels alive again. But Catcher has his own secrets. Dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah has longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it’s up to Annah: can she continue to live in a world covered in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return’s destruction?
My Rating: (3.5/5)
The Dark and Hollow Places had a very different feel to it than the other two books in this series which I really liked. The Dark City was a place completely different than I, or the original characters in the series had imagined. Initially it was supposed to be a safe place that was highly protected from the Unconsecrated but it turned out to be a ragged shantytown where you can’t even trust your neighbor. It reminded me of a really far gone Gotham City meets the post-apocalyptic world in The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
Annah, the newest character of the series, was extremely likable to me. She’s flawed, scarred, guarded and there’s a real grittiness to her that I didn’t find in Gabry; the girl has some fight in her. I guess the reason I like her over Gabry is because although Carrie Ryan puts both Annah and Gabry in many dire situations, I feel like Gabry is a little helpless and always has to be saved (by a boy, usually) while Annah doesn’t expect anyone to save her, so she’ll do whatever she needs to survive. Female characters like her are rare, although hopefully that trend is changing in YA.
This story also has another love triangle of course, but with a twist. The story finally gives Catcher the limelight rather than Elias which is fine for me since Catcher has much more depth as a character. Some of the scenes between Catcher and Annah were pretty steamy whereas Elias and Gabry are just so clingy.
The Dark and Hollow Places was a good end to the series and I enjoyed this book the most. There was more action and rawness to it and the Dark City was a much scarier place than the Forest of Hands and Teeth which, looking back, looks like a safe haven. This series had a lot of ups and downs for me but overall I enjoyed reading. Plus, gotta love those covers.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Book Review: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
Title: The Scorch Trials
Author: James Dashner
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, October 12, 2010
Pages: Hardcover, 360
Series: Maze Runner, #2
Buy it on Amazon
From Goodreads: Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.
In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.
Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.
The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.
Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?
My Rating: (4.5/5)
This was an excellent follow-up to The Maze Runner by James Dashner. The first book captivated me so much, I couldn’t put it down and the second one did not disappoint. I read this book in the same way: barely able to put it down, thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it, agonizing over it afterwards.
It’s true, everything is different in this book and there is an entire new cast of characters to get to know, but James Dashner makes sure we get to know the important ones and the others, unfortunately, are cast aside. So it must be in times like this. Although the boys are not in the Glade any longer, they are in a new kind of hell, but it seems like they’re actually in the real world now. That’s what makes this book so interesting: after the Glade, do the boys really need to stick together now? Should they? It’s a great experiment to see how they relate to one another now that they’re out of the bubble, so to speak.
Another great think about The Scorch Trials is James Dashner’s ability to bring on the creep. And by that, I mean everything is creepy from the beginning of the book until the end. I’m not sure if this is reality or if everyone is living in some kind of matrix. Although we’re given more clues about the overall arc of the story, I’m still pretty clueless as to what’s going on. Just like Thomas, I’m not sure who to trust and the people I thought I could trust, I’ve realized I can’t. Or can I?
The Scorch Trials is a great YA thriller and I’m beyond excited to get my hands on The Death Cure, the last in the trilogy that comes out this fall. I can’t wait!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Summer Giveaway! Beauty Queens by Libba Bray + Summer Inspired Beauty Goodies
Kick-off your summer in style! To jumpstart the summer and my new blog, I’m hosting a giveaway featuring:
- Beauty Queens by Libba Bray (Hardcover)
(see my review here) - Fun, summer-inspired goodies by SEPHORA COLLECTION including:
– Super Shimmer Lip Gloss in Summer Crush
– Nail Lacquer in Teeny Bikini
– Nano Eyeliner in Golden Sand
Contest Rules:
- You must be 13 years or older
- You must reside in the US or Canada only
- One entry per person
- Ends Sunday, July 17, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST
To enter, simply fill out the form below!
Book Review: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Title: Uglies
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Simon Pulse, February 8, 2005
Pages: Paperback, 425
Series: Uglies #1
Buy it on Amazon
But Tally’s new friend Shay isn’t sure she wants to be pretty. She’d rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world — and it isn’t very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.
My Rating: (3/5)
This was a fun and quick read for me. The future world that Scott Westerfeld created was very intriguing and described so well that I felt I could imagine it perfectly in my head. There was clearly a contrast between Uglyville (dull, boring, etc.) and New Pretty Town (fun, colorful, exciting).
The premise of Uglies is very sad: Tally spends her whole life pining for the time when she turns 16 so she can be “pretty” and go live in New Pretty Town to finally have fun. It’s a representation of the importance society puts on looks, but it also reflects the feelings of teens who just want to fit in. Tally doesn’t want to be the prettiest girl after her surgery, she just wants to look like the rest of the popular kids who live in New Pretty Town. Sameness is desired while uniqueness is seen as ugly with no exceptions.
I think Scott Westerfeld did a good job making his point though I wish there was a little more explanation of the world Tally lives in. For instance, I’m not sure what the deal is with the adults in this world. Her parents and teachers seem to be just as clueless as Tally. Apparently that’s just the way life is in this world, but I’m still wondering why?
A great idea for a book, this story just needs a little more fine tuning for me.
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The Geeky Beach Babe: June 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Book Review: Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
Title: Speaker for the Dead
Author: Orson Scott Card
Publisher: Tor Books, August 15, 1994
(first published in 1986)
Pages: Paperback, 382
Series: Ender’s Saga #2
Buy it on Amazon.com
From Goodreads: Three thousand planet-bound years have fled since Ender Wiggin won humanity’s war with the Buggers by totally destroying them. Ender remains young-travelling the stars at relativistic speeds, a hundred years or more might pass while he experiences a month-long voyage. In three thousand years, his books The Hive Queen and The Hegemon have become holy writ, and the name of Ender anathema; he is the Xenocide, the one who killed an entire race of thinking, feeling beings, the only other sapient race humankind had found in all the galaxy. The only ones, that is, until the planet called Lusitania was discovered and colonized.
On Lusitania humans found another race of ramen … a young race, beings just beginning to lift their eyes to the stars and wonder what might be out there. The discovery was seen as a gift to humanity, a chance to redeem the destruction of the Buggers. And so the Pequininos, as they were named by the Portuguese-speaking settlers, the “Piggies,” were placed off-limits to the colony. The only humans allowed to meet them and speak with them are trained xenobiologists, and then only two at a time. This time, there will be no tragic misunderstandings leading to war. This time…
This time, again, men die-bizarrely killed by the Piggies. Andrew Wiggin is called to Lusitania to Speak the deaths of the two xenobiologists, and walks into a maelstrom of fear and hatred. To Speak for these dead, he must first unravel the web of secrets surrounding the lives of the Piggies and those who study them. He must Speak not only for the dead, but for a living alien race.
My Rating: (5/5)
Orson Scott Card’s Speaker for the Dead is quite a different story from Ender’s Game, but it’s a great one. The setting is new, the characters are mostly all new and Ender is 3,000 years older (sort of). Unlike the first book, my favorite parts of this book have almost nothing to do with Ender. Rather, I’m all about the aliens in this one.
Much of this story takes place before Ender even arrives, which gives the reader a great chance to acclimate to the new surroundings. We are now on the planet Lusitania and we’re even further in the future. There are so many new and wonderful human characters in this book and each has their own separate identity; I both loved and hated most of them. (I think I also picked up a bit of Portuguese from reading this book!)
The alien characters, aka the “Piggies” are extremely complex and mysterious while at the same time very lovable. Never could I have imagined reading a book in which I care so much about the aliens (maybe more than the people!). Perhaps the best thing about this book is that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t figure out the twist at the end so it was a real and unpredictable surprise ending which I love.
I really loved this book – it’s one of those books you wish didn’t have to end. If you’ve read Ender’s Game and loved it, I think you”ll love this one, too.
[Side note: I have read the next two in the series, but my advice is that if you want to remember the good times, stop after Speaker for the Dead and that way you can always think of Ender fondly.]
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Book Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Title: Before I Fall
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperCollins, February 14, 2010
Pages: 480
Buy it on Amazon.com
From Goodreads: What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Samantha Kingston has it all: the world’s most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.
Instead, it turns out to be her last.
Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.
My Rating: (4/5)
I loved this book and literally could not put it down. (I finished reading it in the wee hours of the morning with a tiny lamp emitting the light equivalent to a candle so my husband could sleep.) It’s a pretty long book compared to other YA books I’ve read recently, but it went by in a flash.
The story follows popular girl Sam as she goes through her own version of Groundhog Day after she has presumably died in a car accident. At first I thought rehashing the same day over and over may get boring to read, but each day was so different than the rest and brought new and sometimes shocking revelations.
Sam and her friends are the girls you love to hate, and I did have a great time hating them. I imagined them like the characters from Mean Girls, except not as dumb and more multi-dimensional. Each day we learn more about them through the different events, especially her BFF Lindsay, and you do get to see the flip side to her bitchy persona. Aside from the bullying, the relationship between the four girls actually reminds me of my own group of friends in high school and how we loved driving around, listening to music, talking about ridiculous things, acting like we were adults when we were anything but.
In fact, this book is very nostalgic for me because Lauren Oliver’s description of high school is so close to mine right down to The North Face fleeces and New Balance sneakers, that I’m sure we must be around the same age. I also really liked that this book described the partying side of high school in an accurate light (though now that I reflect back on it, it is pretty disturbing). It wasn’t glorified or taboo and there was no preachy message; she just wrote it like it is.
This is a great book and Before I Fall makes me excited to see what other tricks Lauren Oliver has up her sleeve!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Book Review: The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
Title: The Dead-Tossed Waves
Author: Carrie Ryan
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books, March 9, 2010
Series: #2 (Forest of Hands and Teeth)
Buy it on Amazon.com
From Goodreads: Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She’s content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry’s mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry’s generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother’s past in order to save herself and the one she loves.
My Rating: (2.5/5)
I was a little disappointed to find that Carrie Ryan’s follow-up to The Forest of Hands and Teeth didn’t pick up where the last one left off, but instead the story skips to a new generation. Perhaps because of this, I felt it was hard for me to care about Gabry because she didn’t have much of a personality. Or rather, she didn’t have the passion and fire in her like her mother, Mary did in the first book. Granted, as the story goes along she does find her voice, but I actually found myself liking the other characters more than her.
One of the best parts of this book is the love triangle between Gabry, Elias and Catcher. I must say, Carrie Ryan knows how to create drama! Catcher is the boy-next-door all around good guy and Elias is the mysterious, tortured soul. Who to pick? I really liked both of them for a lot of different reasons. Catcher really changes throughout the book so I felt like he was the most developed character.
The zombies are still here and just as bad as ever. We do find out a little bit of information about them, however so that’s appreciated. One thing that I didn’t like about this book is that the characters are forced to go through the forest by way of the narrow fenced-in paths and I thought that was a little redundant since a lot of the first book is spent there as well.
Overall, I liked this book almost as much as the first, there were just a few things lacking for me.
(On a side note I just want to say I think the covers in this series are beautiful!)
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Book Review: Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz
Invincible Summer
Author: Hannah Moskowitz
Publisher: Simon Pulse, April 19, 2011
Pages: Paperback, 269
From Goodreads: Noah’s happier than I’ve seen him in months. So I’d be an awful brother to get in the way of that. It’s not like I have some relationship with Melinda. It was just a kiss. Am I going to ruin Noah’s happiness because of a kiss?
Across four sun-kissed, drama-drenched summers at his family’s beach house, Chase is falling in love, falling in lust, and trying to keep his life from falling apart. But some girls are addictive….
My Rating: (4.5/5)
This book is so beautiful and so real, I just can’t tell you how good it is. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the description and actually, I don’t think the description is an accurate portrayal of what Invincible Summer is really about. It’s about family, growing up, making mistakes and grief. A girl is just a small part of this story.
Over the course of four summers, Chase and his family undergo an evolution of change and he and his brothers and sisters discover the bonds that will forever bind them. One of the (many) reasons this book resonated with me so much is because I feel like I’ve lived aspects of this story. Like Chase, I experienced summers at the beach with my family and how it changed every year little by little until nothing was ever the same as it was in the “old days” when we were young. That’s growing up, and, as Hannah Moskowitz shows us, it’s sad, too.
Chase is such an easy character to get behind because Hannah doesn’t just tell us what’s happening, she tells us what Chase is thinking. And Chase is not perfect, not by a long shot, but his portrayal is so real, it’s like I was a part of this story and ultimately a part of this family.
This is is a tragic story and while reading, I felt like what happened to these characters also happened to me and by the end I was crying along with them, feeling their losses as mine. It’s that good.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Book Review: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
Publisher: Scholastic Press, May 24, 2011
Pages: Hardcover, 390
Buy it on Amazon
From Goodreads: From bestselling, Printz Award-winning author Libba Bray, the story of a plane of beauty pageant contestants that crashes on a desert island. Teen beauty queens. A “Lost”-like island. Mysteries and dangers. No access to email. And the spirit of fierce, feral competition that lives underground in girls, a savage brutality that can only be revealed by a journey into the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Oh, the horror, the horror! Only funnier. With evening gowns. And a body count.
My Rating: (4/5)
I was drawn to this book originally by two factors: a) the cover and b) the LOST-ish island. I absolutely love the cover and the entire book jacket. I just think it’s fabulous. I’m also a huge LOST fan so if it has any kind of resemblance to LOST, I’m there. What kept me reading though, was the hysterical characters Libba Bray created.
Beauty Queens is entirely satirical, which I wasn’t expecting so at first I wasn’t quite sure what I had gotten myself into. Some really silly things happen and the characters say some really ridiculous things, but eventually I really got the hang of it once I learned more about each Miss Teen Dream (thanks to some helpful personal “Fun Facts” pages in the first half of the book).
While Bray pokes fun at all kinds of teen-esque things like boy bands and makeup products (ahem, guilty pleasures anyone?), what I really loved about this book was the bond the girls made while surviving on the island. Each girl had her own unique story to tell whether it was serious or shallow and though I wasn’t entirely sure where Bray was headed, when I got to the epilogue I may have shed a tear or two when I felt like I finally “got it.”
This book isn’t perfect – it’s a little longer than it has to be and the conspiracy side plot seems a little tedious – but it’s a fun, feministic read for any teenage girl, or any woman for that matter.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Book Review: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Publisher: Tor Science Fiction, July 15, 1994 (originally published 1985)
Pages: Paperback, 324
Series: #1
Buy it on Amazon
From Goodreads: In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race’s next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew “Ender” Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn’t make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.
Ender’s skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.
Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender’s two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.
My Rating: (4.5/5)
Ender’s Game is one of my favorite books of all time. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and it helped me out of a reading funk I’d been having for a while so I suggest it if you’re having one, too. I wasn’t too sure about it when it was recommended to me, but I took a chance and I’m glad I did.
Ender is a great character, and even though he’s a young child, he’s more like a little adult. He’s a genius, but not because he spews scientific equations or anything. He’s more like a creative thinker: a sensitive strategist in every situation he’s in whether it’s figuring out how to handle school bullies or figuring out how to keep his brother from killing him. For most of the book he’s a loner though not exactly by choice and I think we can all identify with that at some point in our lives.
Both Valentine and Peter are great characters as well, and I love that Orson Scott Card goes back and forth between what Ender is doing at school and the shenanigans his siblings are conjuring at home. Peter, by the way, is the perfect villain because not only is he a genius, but also seems to sometimes be evil and sometimes alright and as Ender’s brother, you’re never sure if you can trust him.
This is a great book for lovers of science fiction but I would also recommend it to readers who haven’t reach much sci-fi before. Some of the space gravity lingo is difficult to understand but it’s usually explained very well. The aliens are not a main feature – they are mostly just referred to, so if you’re squeamish about things like that, no problem. And finally, if you love deep character development, I know you’ll love Ender, too.
[Note: Ender’s Game is the first of a series, but it’s also a great standalone book as well. The books that follow are completely different (example: the next one is set 3,000 years after this one), but of course you can indulge if you want!]
Book Review: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Publisher: Gollancz, March 10, 2009
Pages: Paperback, 310
Series: #1
Buy it on Amazon
From GoodReads: In Mary’s world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?
My Rating: (3/5)
I enjoyed reading most of this book, however I have to admit up front that I was disappointed with a few aspects. First, the world Carrie Ryan created was pretty damn cool – apparently I have a secret desire to live within a bizarre and totally oppressive society. Unfortunately, my need for details was not fulfilled and though the world within the fence was totally fascinating to me, it wasn’t enough for the main character, Mary.
I guess the disconnect I feel is when Mary is living with the Sisterhood (which provides some hairy scenes that made my heart race with anxiety), but the whole time Mary is there she is thinking about a guy and the ocean. I wanted her to be more interested in the mysteries right in front of her. She seemed interested, but not interested enough to really sneak around and get the answers I wanted. It was like she was preoccupied and I couldn’t get her to focus. Focus on the basement of the Church Mary! Get me what I need!
Otherwise, this was a pretty fun zombie read for me. I’ve read almost nothing on zombies so this was a good transition because while zombies (Unconsecrated) are an essential ingredient, they pretty much take the back burner on this one to the characters living within the fence. I do love the imagery Carrie Ryan created of the Unconsecrated constantly scratching at the fences. It’s so unimaginable that I love to imagine it. I only wish Mary wasn’t so preoccupied with her mother’s dreams instead of her own; in that way, I don’t think I really understood Mary, especially since we only knew her mother for a short time.
All in all, The Forest of Hands and Teeth is an exciting read that made me anxious beyond belief in parts. I did come away feeling a little empty with character development but I was still eager to get my hands on the next in the series to see if I could squeeze some more answers out of it.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Book Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Publisher: Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers, October 6, 2009
Pages: Hardcover, 379
Series: #1
Buy it on Amazon
From GoodReads: When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.
Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.
Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.
Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.
My Rating: (5/5)
This is probably my favorite book I’ve read so far this year. It’s so different than recent books I’ve read and I love that the protagonist is a guy and yet I still really identify with him. Sometimes I think there are less YA books out there that capture the attention of both male and female audiences but The Maze Runner really nails it.
This book is all about mystery and the psychological effects of not knowing anything – who you are or where you are and which one is worse?. In many cases in fiction, the main character doesn’t know exactly what’s going on, but the reader is given hints and we can predict a little of what can happen next. James Dashner doesn’t do this at all, and it’s amazing. I was kept in the dark just like Thomas and was just as confused by all the unhelpful answers he received when he asked the boys in the Glade the questions I also wanted to ask.
Another great thing about this book is that all the characters are so unique – they all have completely different personalities and quirks that made each one stand out so even though there are many, I was never confused about who was speaking. Each character had his own tone and dialect that I could pick out as being definably theirs. (By the way, the made-up slang James Dashner created for these characters is hilarious!)
This book was like a puzzle and I was desperately reading so I could find the next piece. I barely put this book down and read until the wee hours of the morning just to finish it. This book is a great ride full of psychological twists and turns and I recommend it to everyone!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Booking Through Thursday: Interactive?
Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme about (mostly) books and reading. Today’s great question is:
With the advent (and growing popularity) of eBooks, I’m seeing more and more articles about how much “better” they can be, because they have the option to be interactive … videos, music, glossaries … all sorts of little extra goodies to help “enhance” your reading experience, rather like listening to the Director’s commentary on a DVD of your favorite movie.
How do you feel about that possibility? Does it excite you in a cutting-edge kind of way? Or does it chill you to the bone because that’s not what reading is ABOUT?
Personally, I love my Kindle. Like, I’m almost in love with it. But that’s because I can get books I want in less than three seconds without having to go anywhere. It’s immediate gratification and I’m okay with that. Also, it’s nice to buy things without cluttering up my house or bookshelves; it actually feels kind of “green” in that way. Like I opted not to take a plastic bag with my purchase.
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| Amazon.com Kindle |
That said, I have zero interest in any interactive features. That sounds to me like it’s for people who don’t like the idea of e-readers because they prefer paper books (as if we need to show them that e-readers can do other cool things too, besides you know, hold 3,500 books at a time) or people who just don’t like reading at all. Reading is fun! If we need to tack shiny new toys on to books to get people excited about reading, I think we’re in trouble. Reading to me, is about getting lost in another world and relaxing. There’s no need for flashy features to go along with books to “enhance” reading. I can tell you what enhances reading: my imagination.
There are all kinds of things that already exist that you can participate in. Like video games or social media. I say leave books alone and let those who don’t enjoy them do something else.
Book Review: Matched by Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile,
November 30, 2010
Pages: Hardcover, 366
Series: #1
Buy it on Amazon
From GoodReads: Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander’s face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham’s face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it’s a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she’s destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can’t stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society’s infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.
My Rating: (4.5/5)
I absolutely loved this book! I love reading about futuristic dystopian societies and this one is one of my favorites. Ally Condie created a world that, at first glance, I thought would be fun to live in. Of course there’s the whole not-being-able-to-pick-who-you-love thing and the you-can-only-listen-to-these-songs thing, among many other rules. But there’s also a nice sense of community in world that seems to pretty much take care of your every need. Until of course Cassia realizes what she really needs, she can’t have.
The world in Matched really reminded me of The Giver by Lois Lowry, and there are lots of parallels. But in Matched, the focus is around a blossoming love story where in The Giver, the characters are lacking the ability to really love. I for one, love the connection between Cassia and Ky. When they first realize they have feelings for each other, it’s so dangerous that they have to hide it. The forbidden romance was really fun to read and I think I actually had butterflies myself, feeling so nervous for them.
If you’re looking for a great summer read, this is it. I can’t wait for Crossed, the next in the series!
Book Review: Fade by Robert Cormier
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, September 14, 2004
Pages: Paperback, 320
Buy it on Amazon
From GoodReads: First bewildered, then thrilled with the power of invisibility, Paul experiments. But his “gift” soon shows him shocking secrets and drives him toward a chilling act.
My Rating: (5/5)
This is one of my absolute favorite books of all time. I’ve read it a few times but just re-read it recently because I remember the slight drama surrounding it. About fifteen years ago (the book was originally published in 1988, though that is far before I read it the first time), I just lived for this book. I remember I was on vacation and was supposed to be out enjoying my time and playing with relatives but instead I was laying on my bed reading this book every chance I could get.
Fade is set in the 1930s but that doesn’t matter. It is completely relevant today simply because it deals with the raw feelings of a young teen PLUS all the great fantastical things that happen to him because of his ability to “fade” (that is to say, he becomes invisible). You would think this ability would be a gift, but as you see everything in Pauls’ point of view, it is anything but. I love the implications that he can do whatever he pleases (and I can think of some fun ones as well) but each time, reality slaps Paul in the face.
About halfway through the book, we are introduced to present-day story which is too good to be true. It’s as if Robert Cormier is picking up on your hopes and dreams and giving you what you want on a silver platter – except we don’t get the answers we so desperately want right away. No, we have to work for them. And that we do, as readers of Fade.
Honestly if I can ever promote an oldie but a goodie, this is it.
Working Out the Kinks
Hello to anyone who happens upon my brand new spankin’ blog! Oh, and sorry for any inconveniences my blog is causing while it’s in the beginning stages. I’m still working out the kinks, trying to figure out what goes where and how, so thank you for your patience. I’m working off a Mac so if this looks completely ridiculous in Windows/Internet Explorer/Mozilla or you think I could be doing something better, please let me know! I would love to hear constructive criticism or anything else you want to share with me.
Aside from that, I’m very excited and hope you enjoy what I share here!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Book Review: Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Pages: Hardcover, 335
Series: #1
Buy it on Amazon
From GoodReads: The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child “unwound,” whereby all of the child’s organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn’t technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.
My Rating: (4/5)
This was a great, thought-provoking read that actually made me tear up a little towards the end. Neal Shusterman gives you the perspective of three very different teens who are all facing the same consequences but for very different reasons.
Could this story have been told from the perspective of just one person? Of course, but I don’t think it would have been so effective on me as a reader. Unwind is a story about controversial subject matter and I think it was successful at not being preachy or patronizing. Ultimately, I think it was written objectively and its purpose was only to get the reader to reflect and think deeper on the subject because clearly, not everything is always black or white. The perspectives of Lev, Risa and Connor (as well as a few others in some chapters) provided the grayness in between so if you don’t empathize or identify with one character, you will with one of the others. Even though they are all going to be unwound, the three of them have very different takes on what it means and how they feel about it.
One of the best scenes of the book is when Neal describes an actual unwinding. It’s not actually gory or described in a particularly gruesome way, in fact it’s a very clinical and sterile process, but that – and the doctors’ flippant attitudes – is what makes it most horrifying. So horrifying I even found myself sympathizing with some of the antagonists in this book.
Although it’s not light subject matter, Unwind is a great page-turner that you can definitely breeze through in a few days. I did!
Book Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Publisher: Harper Teen, Feburary 1, 2011
Pages: Hardcover, 441
Series: #1
Buy it on Amazon
From GoodReads: Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love — the deliria — blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.
But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.
My Rating: (4/5)
I was really excited to read this because not only did the premise interest me, but it is set sometime in the future in the town where I now live – Portland, Maine. Lauren Oliver’s tale of the heartbreak and excitement that love can provoke painted a picture of an eerie dystopian Portland which to be honest, unsettled me a bit, especially because I could picture it so well in my head. While reading it, I really felt Lena’s fear as she constantly looked over her shoulder as she walked through the streets of my town.
I love books like this because even though the assertion that the government could “ban” love and treat it as a disease sounds farfetched, it truly makes you reflect on history and you realize the crazy things some governments have already done in the name of protecting its people. The quotes from the Book of Shhh (The Safety, Health and Happiness Handbook which serves as a kind of new bible for society) at the beginning of each chapter really gave me insight into the ways the government has really brainwashed the minds of Lena and her family.
The great thing about Delirium is that you can see how this decision has changed society and Lena is a product of her environment. But even though Lena has never known a world any different, she somehow senses something isn’t right and deep down she pines for something more. I, as the reader, wanted so desperately for her to understand and have that epiphany with Alex so she could break out of her world and I ended up really caring about the characters.
Overall, Delirium was a great dystopian love story and after the exciting ending, I’m really looking forward to the next in the series.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Book Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Publisher: Razorbill, January 11, 2011
Pages: Hardcover, 398
Series: #1
Buy it at Amazon
From GoodReads: Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.
My Rating: (3.5/5)
The beginning of this book was amazing – the way Beth Revis described how Amy felt while frozen was terrifying. It really made me think about what it would be like if you were in a constant dream-like state and the implications of possibly going crazy because of it.
When the focus shifted back to Elder, I was still intrigued. The ship is described beautifully down to the tiniest detail and I had no trouble imagining what it was supposed to look like as I followed Elder around. It actually reminded me of The Truman Show in that the community essentially lives in a bubble (the ship) and the main characters are in the dark but have no idea about the truths that lay beyond the surface.
In the end, I was hoping/expecting a more epic romance or a stronger connection between Amy and Elder as I thought the cover suggested. The romance seemed a little one sided, however it was nice to have both of their perspectives on the relationship even though I wasn’t completely satisfied with the resolution.
I loved the mystery that Beth created; it felt like a treasure hunt and I couldn’t wait to find out the secrets of the ship along with Elder and Amy. However, the ending felt rushed and it felt anti-climatic. I felt like the pages were dwindling as I wondered if I would be let in on biggest secret at the end. I was, though I don’t think it had as big an effect on me as it was supposed to so I was a little let down with the final twists.
Thankfully, the first three quarters of the book really made up for it and although I didn’t get everything I wanted, Across the Universe was very thought-provoking on many levels and I would suggest it to readers who are interested in a unique mystery with a little dash of science fiction.
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The Geeky Beach Babe: Liebster Blog Award
Monday, August 8, 2011
Liebster Blog Award
The Liebster Blog Award spotlights up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. A big thank you to Melissa from Reading by Moonlight for nominating moi! And now, I shall pass the torch:
The rules of the award are:
1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and past the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
5. And most of all- have bloggity-blog fun!
My nominations in random order are:
Give ’em a shout!
xo ~ L
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The Geeky Beach Babe: In My Mailbox (2)
Sunday, August 7, 2011
In My Mailbox (2)
In My Mailbox is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren where bloggers get to share books they received during the week.
This week the library amazingly had even more books ready for me! I swear they all had a lot of holds on them before me… I’ve been trying my best to read the ones I already have because my goal is to never, ever renew.
Anyway, this week was all about the library: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (which looks VERY worn in, hoping that’s a good thing), Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (very excited about this one), I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore, Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard (I love this show so I figure maybe I should read the books! Hopefully it doesn’t give away too much about A… Does anyone know if the show is a play by play or completely different?), and finally Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier. I’ve seen this book come up a lot lately on blogs so I’m hoping it’s as good as the cover is beautiful.
by Rick Riordan (which looks VERY worn in, hoping that’s a good thing), Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (very excited about this one), I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore, Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard (I love this show so I figure maybe I should read the books! Hopefully it doesn’t give away too much about A… Does anyone know if the show is a play by play or completely different?), and finally Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier. I’ve seen this book come up a lot lately on blogs so I’m hoping it’s as good as the cover is beautiful. That’s it for me – what’s in your mailbox this week?
10 comments:
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Great mailbox! I Am Number Four and Ruby Red both sound awesome.
Here's my IMM: http://bit.ly/ouffrP
- August 7, 2011 12:29 PM
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chelleyreads said…
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YAY!! You're reading Ruby Red. I LOVED that book sooo much and I hope you do too. awesome mailbox–happy reading 🙂
My IMM this week.
-Michelle
- August 7, 2011 12:34 PM
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Lucy said…
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Warm Bodies is a great library find. I like the PLL books too, and they are more fun if you are a fan of the show. Happy reading!
- August 7, 2011 1:25 PM
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Peggy said…
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Hi, new follower! Nice Haul! If you can, please check out my IMM at: Pawing Through Books
- August 7, 2011 2:35 PM
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Laci Crawford said…
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The Lightening Thief is a really good book! Awesome IMM!!!
- August 7, 2011 4:40 PM
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Bailey said…
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EEE I Am Number Four! Just read The Power of Six and it is just as good! =D
- August 7, 2011 7:18 PM
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I still need to read I Am Number Four. I have nominated you for the Liebster blog awards! Check it out at my blog 🙂
- August 7, 2011 8:09 PM
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Sarah said…
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new follower 🙂
I LOVED the Lightening Thief!! It is one of my favorite books! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did 🙂
Check out my in my mailbox!
http://sarahcatchingbooks.blogspot.com/2011/08/in-my-mailbox-6.html - August 7, 2011 10:09 PM
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melissa said…
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I am number four was an awesome read. I love the dog!
- August 7, 2011 10:10 PM
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Lisa said…
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The Pretty Little Liars series is fantastic! Also Sara Shepard's other series The Lying Game is pretty good too!
I also received I Am Number Four, I'm pretty excited because the movie was AMAZING!:D
lisa
www.turningpages94.blogspot.com - August 7, 2011 11:56 PM
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The Geeky Beach Babe: Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth
Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books, May 1, 2011
Pages: Hardcover, 496
Series: Divergent #1
Buy it on Amazon
From Goodreads: Beatrice “Tris” Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth’s dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place her in mortal danger. Veronica Roth’s young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.
My Rating: (5/5)
This is my new favorite series; I can tell already. Ever since I read The Hunger Games, Matched and The Maze Runner, I’ve been feeling a little “meh” about finding a new awesome dystopian trilogy. But no fear – I’ve found it!
Divergent was a thrilling read from the beginning to the end. I actually had to slow myself down while reading so I could delay the awesomeness and bask in it as much as possible. Seriously. For example, I love the factions. At first I thought, how could only five factions define all of humanity? (Well, I found out it couldn’t, but that’s beside the point. Er, I mean it is the point.) Each faction is vastly different and each one provides a different community or way of living than the next which is probably my favorite thing about dystopian novels. I love exploring the worlds authors create and imagining how society could have possibly evolved this way. The almost insane, brave and courageous Dauntless provided a striking contrast to Abnegation’s uniformity and generosity. I believed Veronica Roth’s new world and found it equal parts stifling as well as exhilarating. I’m looking forward to delving deeper into the other factions as the series goes on.
Tris is a dynamic protagonist: she’s not perfect and she’s definitely not bad, but her character does seem to lie somewhere in the middle seeing as she’s constantly torn between going with her gut and doing what’s right, or being a follower and saving her own butt while others are in trouble. I think I like her and I’m hoping she gets emotionally stronger in the next book.
Now can we talk about Four? Four is one of the best boys to pine for in 2011, if such list does exist. He’s brave, strong, sexy? (I never got a good feel for what he looked like but it didn’t matter because his personality is a-blazing!) and oh yeah, he doesn’t treat Tris like a delicate flower about to wither at any given moment. I found the growing connection between Tris and Four to be just as important and engaging as the faction drama revolving around them.
To say I’m looking forward to the next in the series is a huge understatement. Veronica Roth is a debut author and SHE’S ONLY 22. Yup. Go get Divergent!
2 comments:
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Maia said…
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I love this book too! Which reminds me I need to review it. But yeah I definitely agree; this is a book that people should buy.
- August 5, 2011 10:50 PM
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Coranne said…
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I love this book so much!!!
- August 8, 2011 9:25 PM
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The Geeky Beach Babe: Book Review: Cinder & Ella by Melissa Lemon
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Book Review: Cinder & Ella by Melissa Lemon
Title: Cinder and Ella
Author: Melissa Lemon
Publisher: Cedar Fort, expected date: November 8, 2011
Pages: Hardcover, 280
Source: NetGalley
Buy it on Amazon
After their father’s disappearance, Cinder leaves home for a servant job at the castle. But it isn’t long before her sister Ella is brought to the castle herself—the most dangerous place in all the kingdom for both her and Cinder. Cinder and Ella is a Cinderella story like no other and one you’ll never forget.
My Rating: (2.5/5)
If you love fairytales and you’re always looking for a new one, this may be the book for you. This story is a retelling of the classic Cinderella story, but really the only thing in this novel that bears resemblance to the original is the name of two of the characters. Otherwise, it seemed to be a completely new story which I have to admit was a little disappointing to me since I was expecting the same story but with new twists.
In true fairytale style, the writing is very objective and linear in that it explains what’s going on but doesn’t give much insight to what the main character (Ella) is feeling. It’s all very polite and proper so I couldn’t get a feel for Melissa Lemon’s personal style of writing and it lacked the unique traits that many other YA authors have.
The best parts of this book were at Cinder and Ella’s house, away from all the prince and castle drama. I loved Katrina and Beatrice, the two troubled and difficult sisters, and I found their behavior so ludicrous that it was pretty hysterical and I think they actually stole the show from Cinder and Ella. I would love to see a spin-off just on those two sisters alone.
Overall, if you’re a die hard fairytale fan, give it a shot. If you like Cinderella as one person, the way she’s always been, well… you decide.
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The Geeky Beach Babe: Book Review: Changing My Wardrobe by Deb Hanrahan
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Book Review: Changing My Wardrobe by Deb Hanrahan
Title: Changing My Wardrobe
Author: Deb Hanrahan
Publisher: Philyra Publishing, May 16, 2011
Pages: Paperback, 258
Buy it on Amazon
From Goodreads: Incoming freshman, Lindsey Ames, wants to take Italian, and she wants to join the National Honor Society. She wants a new image, and she wants better clothes. She wants Avery to stop tormenting her, and she wants Marco to ask her out. She wants Jocelyn to go away, but she wants Grouper to be happy. She wants to save Teeny’s reputation, but she doesn’t want to lose everything. Will Lindsey find the courage to stand up to her enemies before it’s too late?
My Rating: (3/5)
I really enjoyed reading this book and it took me right back to high school. Whatever clique you fit into or group you mesh with, your friends are the biggest part of high school that you’ll ever remember. I can say this with confidence because I’ve graduated from high school and college, and I know the difference.
The main character and I may share a name (different spelling) but I can completely identify with her. Lindsey is shy and likes to stay out of the limelight while her best friend Teeny lives for it. And in true high school form, they both have a common enemy who is relentless.
Changing My Wardrobe is real on so many levels because it clearly shows how easy it is for teens to get out of hand. Just merely existing in a “good girl” high school bubble isn’t enough to survive high school, as Deb Hanrahan shows. While I was not expecting the ending to Changing My Wardrobe at all, I do know that the ultimate ending made me think and reflect on the entire scenario. Lindsey isn’t a perfect martyr or hero. She’s actually a great representation of what a real girl would look like in the midst of such high school crap. Overall, I love her character, but I wish I was more prepared for the surprise ending.
And oh yeah, I like the characters so much I want a spin-off!
1 comments:
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Deb Hanrahan said…
- Lindsay,
Great Review!!! FYI, a spin-off is in the works.
Thanks,
Deb - August 16, 2011 11:56 PM
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The Geeky Beach Babe: Summer Giveaway Winner!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Summer Giveaway Winner!
Congratulations to Meredith from Mint Tea and a Good Book! You’ve won my Summer Giveaway including Beauty Queens by Libba Bray and summer-inspired beauty goodies by SEPHORA COLLECTION.
Thank you to all who entered and watch out for new giveaways. If you have any ideas for future contests, shoot me an email!
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2 comments:
Ishita aka Fishy said…
Thanks so much!!! <3
Laci Crawford said…
Thanks so much!!! 🙂
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